


Venipuncture

by Goober



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Blood, M/M, Medical Procedures, Needles, myspace au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:09:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7760908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goober/pseuds/Goober
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What if <i>I</i> drew your blood?”<br/>“What?” Kylo looked up from what he was doing, confusion bringing his brows together. “Why would you want to do that?” The hard line of his lips made the piercing even more prominent.<br/>“Because I want to have something of yours,” Hux answered, picking at the cuticles of his nails casually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Venipuncture

**Author's Note:**

  * For [porcelain_cats](https://archiveofourown.org/users/porcelain_cats/gifts).



> I'm actually going to school for Phlebotomy so I rewarded myself for completing my clinicals by writing MySpace AU in my field of study.
> 
> The AU belongs to Horatiosroom I'm just playing in her sandbox, find everything on the AU [here](http://horatiosroom.tumblr.com/myspaceau) ~

Hux wanted a tube of Kylo’s blood.

Why wait for the idiot to get yet another bloody nose in phys ed when he could have some nearby, could keep a piece of Kylo to look at whenever he was away? He’d considered doing the same to one of his kidneys but ultimately Kylo needed both of his. A shame, really.

He first got the idea while he sat through routine tests for his doctor. Hux watched in interest as the phlebotomist felt up the veins of the crook of his arm. He was always well hydrated and she found one easily, right in the middle. The Median Cubital, his mind supplied, falling back on his extensive interest in anatomy.

The procedure itself was fast, he hardly felt a thing. The doe-eyed student drawing his blood had commented that he was the first one in days not to look away while she drew. He gave a small, half smile at that, and a noncommittal answer along the lines of, “I find it interesting.” Hux watched her invert the tubes, five for each side, then label them.

 

“You had your blood drawn?” Kylo asked when Hux had shown up at his house following the visit. Hux still had the tan-colored wrap around his elbow, mostly because he’d forgotten it.

“How observant,” Hux pushed past him to climb the stairs to Kylo’s room.

“I hate having my blood drawn. The needles just — ugh.” He heard rather than saw the dramatic shuddering behind him, Kylo’s ridiculous amount of kandi clacking together.

“I’ve literally had my fingers inside your abdominal cavity and you’re afraid of  _ needles _ ?” Hux scoffed, dropping his satchel on a part of the bed not covered in t-shirts. His lip upturned in disgust at the state of his boyfriend’s room and he sat himself in the chair at Kylo’s desk. He turned to watch as Kylo continued to put away his shirts, one leg crossed over his knee.

“It’s different, Hux,” Kylo huffed. He hated when Hux made light of things in the wake of what they did every other week. “What if it broke off inside my arm or something? Or they drew too much? Or I pass out and they can’t get the needle out?”

“The needles are stable, they can draw at least 100 milliliters of blood, and you’re not afraid of the sight of blood. Obviously.” Hux rolled his eyes. He wanted to tell Kylo to stop being a baby but thought better of it, he’d never get what he wanted if he antagonized him. “You have a  _ labret ring _ , Kylo.”

“Different needle!”

“When was the last time you had your blood drawn?”

“Not since I was a kid,” Kylo answered, folding one of his many unfortunately neon shirts. “I’m pretty healthy, so I haven’t had a lot of tests done.”

Hux considered this. “What if  _ I _ drew your blood?”

“What?” Kylo looked up from what he was doing, confusion bringing his brows together. “Why would you want to do that?” The hard line of his lips made the piercing even more prominent.

“Because I want to have something of yours,” Hux answered, picking at the cuticles of his nails casually.  _ Because you won’t let me have one of your kidneys. _ He leans forward, elbow braced on his knee. “I want something of yours I took myself, that I can keep with me.”

He expected Kylo to protest. What he  _ didn’t _ anticipate was his boyfriend lunging over his bed and pulling Hux up by the shoulders into a hug, followed by a sloppy kiss. “That is so  _ romantic _ , Hux!”

“If you say so,” Hux returned a peck to Kylo’s cheek. “It wouldn’t be for a while, I want to do this right.” Like everything else they’ve done. “You’ll have time to get yourself ready. Start drinking water, now. I know how little you drink.”

Kylo only rolled his eyes and nuzzled Hux’s neck, earning him a sigh. “Go put away your clothes.”

“But—”

“Now, Kylo.”

 

The local library was well stocked with college textbooks. Unfortunate kids who were unable to pawn them off elsewhere would dump them in with donations and the library silently added them to their ever growing collection of study material. Hux picked out two separate textbooks on phlebotomy; one focusing solely on practice while the other was a shorter version with an emphasis on anatomy.

He studied them every moment he could. The angle of needle insertion, how long to apply the tourniquet for, the proper ways of seating someone while drawing their blood. There was a lot more to know than Hux had initially thought, always thinking the draws themselves were easy.

Hux found himself staring at everyone’s veins as they passed him in school. Judging. If one was particularly good he felt the overwhelming need to practice on something, on someone. He counted the veins he could see in people’s arms and hands, naming them. Cephalic first, Median Cubital second, Basilic third.

Every now and then he’d ask Kylo if he could feel his veins. In the half a week since he’d suggested it Kylo had been making an attempt to drink more water, which Hux appreciated. He learned that the bouncy, sometimes rolling things beneath the crook of Kylo’s arm were veins. That the things that pulsed deeper in were arteries.

Hux needed supplies.

It was easy enough to request a couple of tests from his doctor, falsely admitting he was worried about different diseases now that he was getting more intimately involved with someone. His doctor had praised him for being health conscious, wrote him an order for STD testing, and gave him a small talk on birth control. As if he’d need it.

The next morning a different phlebotomist took his paperwork and ushered him back into one of the rooms. She had to call the physician’s office, one of the test codes wasn’t showing up correctly. “It’ll be just a moment,” she said, with a wide smile and too much cheeriness for almost 8AM on a Thursday.

He acted quickly, remembering the different things he would need. Hux pulled out a Ziploc bag from his satchel and put supplies into it, checking behind him every so often. Two straight needles, two hubs, a rolled up blue tourniquet, and one lavender and one green topped tube. He’d just managed to shove them into his bag when the phlebotomist entered again, apologizing for the wait.

“It’s really no trouble,” he said, glad his voice was void of any sort of guilt. Not that he’d ever had that issue before.

 

“Are you ready, Kylo?”

Hux had come over unannounced, but this was fine. Kylo’s parents were almost never home to have it become a problem for either of them.

“Ready for …”

“I’m going to draw your blood, remember?”

“O-oh, right.” Kylo looked nervous, biting his lip and sucking the silver piercing into his mouth. “Uh. Y-yeah, come upstairs.”

Hux grabbed his arm before he could go anywhere. “I need to know you’re okay with this,” he said sternly. As much as he wanted to try this, he wasn’t about to do something Kylo didn’t want. That had been his rule from day one.

Kylo hesitated for a moment, taking in a deep breath. “I want to. It’s just. Needles.”

Hux cupped Kylo’s face in his hand, rubbing his thumb across his cheekbone. “It’ll be fine, Kylo. You’ll hardly notice it.” On that front he was not confident, but Kylo leaned into his touch and seemed to relax.

He reached down to grab Kylo’s hand, excitement bubbling through him as his boyfriend led him up the stairs. When they entered he let go to set his bag down on Kylo’s desk, the creak of the bed told him Kylo had sat on the edge of it. When he turned back around Kylo’s leg was jumping up and down on the ball of his sneakered foot. “Calm down.” Hux touched his knee gently, stilling the motion easily.

“I need to get things ready. You should lay down.” He’d be able to draw Kylo while he was stretched out over the covers.

Kylo nodded and toed out of his shoes, revealing mismatched but colorful socks. Hux rolled his eyes fondly, but helped usher Kylo back until his head rested on the pillow. “Keep your arms outstretched,” he said, turning back to the baggie of supplies.

Hux pulled out a pair of sterile gloves, a backup pair readied just in case. Pulling them on he assessed where best to set his things and settled on laying them next to Kylo. “I’m just going to look first.” He knelt by the bed, easily able to see the field he was working with.

He unrolled the tourniquet and tied it on Kylo’s arm. Three inches above the antecubital space, measured by calculating eyes. He had practiced tying it properly on his own leg for days now. Tying and snapping it off while he messaged Kylo. Leaving himself a little rabbit ear to grab, he set his eyes on the crook of Kylo’s arm.

He couldn’t see the veins right away. Though Kylo had been drinking water as best he could, Hux had figured they wouldn’t pop out right away. He hadn’t seen them in passing glances. On Kylo’s right side he felt from the outside in, carefully rolling his finger over the skin with enough pressure to feel what was beneath. Kylo’s muscle jumped under his touch, and he had to remind himself that, no, they weren’t cutting into anything today. “Relax. Keep your arm extended and make a fist.”

Kylo did as he asked, and a second later Hux felt it. A spongy something beneath the surface. Hux rolled his finger over the vein a little more, pleased to find it didn’t roll with his finger. Good. He pulled on both ends of the tourniquet and mentally made a note of where he was feeling. The space was right next to a wayward freckle, a dark spot against pale skin. Easy enough to remember.

“You can say no at any time, Kylo,” Hux said, looking up into his boyfriend’s face.

“No. I mean—” Kylo sputtered, cheeks turning pinker. “I mean, no, I don’t want to say no. I’m not. Saying no.”

Smiling a little he braced his hands along Kylo’s arm to lean up and kiss him. A short, chaste thing. He hoped it conveyed his thanks well enough. Kylo grinned when he pulled away, resting his head back against the pillow. Hux was about to continue when Kylo jumped up and announced, “Music! I need music.”

“I literally just found the vein, can’t it wait until after?”

“Where’s it going to go, Hux? You’ll find it again.”

Hux looked murderous for a moment then sighed, pulling off his gloves to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Fine.” Then, with more conviction, “Fine. Only if it will keep you calm.”

“It will, I’ll feel better with music on.”

Hux stood and ignored the protest in his knees, walking over to where Kylo’s hot pink stereo system sat on top of a shelf full of CD’s and books he was sure Kylo had never read. The flashing light indicated there was already a CD inside and he turned it on, nearly jumping out of his skin when a semi-familiar yelling started over the speakers. “This is calming to you?” He sighed, turning the dial down a little bit so he could hear Kylo.

“It’s Take This To Your Grave, Hux. It’s not supposed to be calming.” Kylo rolled his eyes as if this was the most obvious thing in the universe.

Hux flashed him a dark look before returning to kneel beside the bed. “Happy now?” He snapped on a new pair of gloves before getting an answer.

“Yes, thank you.” Kylo laid his head back down, raven hair splaying on the pillow around him.

Hux checked his supplies and mentally went over what he was about to do. He tied the tourniquet again and checked, relieved when the vein hadn’t moved. He uncapped the rubber end of the straight needle and used the plastic to place a mark on the vein, releasing Kylo’s arm while he gathered himself. 

Wiping over the area in a circular motion with the alcohol pad he watched the circle raise and redden, outlining the space he needed to stick. Hux screwed the rubber end into the plastic hub, placing the green tube into the end, not pushing the needle through it yet. He waited until the sheen was no longer totally visible on Kylo’s arm before tying the tourniquet again. “Okay, Kylo. I need you to make a fist and keep your arm straight.”

Kylo nodded from the pillow and turned his face away, not wanting to watch.

Hux pulled the safety back and uncapped the needle. “One, two, three.” He stretched the skin as he counted, pushing the needle forward steadily with his right hand. He went quick, but not quick enough that it was a jab. He knew going slow would hurt Kylo and that wasn’t his intention. The opening broke through the skin easily and Kylo jumped a little, though Hux had him anchored so the needle wouldn’t pop out. When Hux felt like he was in the vein he pushed the tube into the rubber-clad needle, excited at the sudden flow of blood.

“You’re doing great, Kylo.”

The tube filled and he pulled it out with minimal tugging, holding the needle and hub in place with his fingers braced against Kylo’s arm. Warm. The blood was really,  _ really _ warm. He expected it to be somewhat warm because it was inside Kylo’s body, but he didn’t expect it to be almost hot to the touch. Regaining his composure Hux pulled on the loop of the tourniquet and let it snap off. “You can unclench your fist,” he said, inverting the tube. Ten times, five on each side. He slipped the lavender tube in next, watching it fill as well.

The blood stopped flowing and Hux let out a breath he had been holding in his chest. Thrilled and relieved at the same time. With his free hand he grabbed the gauze and pressed down on the needle, pulling it out in a quick motion. He flicked the safety over the needle and smiled, staring down at the full lavender tube. “You’re done, Kylo. Put some pressure on the gauze.”

Kylo looked back over, doing as he was told with his free hand. He stared at the tube in Hux’s hand, seemingly mesmerized by how dark and thick his blood looked. “That’s mine?”

Hux barely refrained from rolling his eyes and stood to put his supplies away. “Of course it’s yours. How are you feeling?”

“Fine.” Kylo watched him set the tubes down onto the computer desk after inverting the lavender tube ten times as well. “That barely felt like anything,” he said, a small smile on his lips.

“Good. See, it wasn’t bad.” Hux turned back with a bandage and bent down to kiss Kylo’s lips. He opened the bandaid and laid it across the gauze after checking to see that the blood had already started to clot.

Kylo sat up and watched Hux toss out everything but the needle and hub, sticking it back into his bag to dispose of elsewhere. When Hux turned back to Kylo he was checking out his inner arm with interest. “Can we play Zelda now?” Kylo asked, looking up at him with big brown eyes.

What Hux really wanted was to go back home and put his new additions on the shelf with the rest of his collection. “Of course, Kylo.”

 

When Hux went home, long before Kylo’s parents had pulled into his driveway, he headed immediately upstairs. Pulling the tubes of blood from his satchel he lay them sideways with the clear end sticking out so he could see how the blood moved from one end of the tube to the next.

He chose these vials specifically for their additives, so he could observe and record how each interacted with Kylo’s blood. The green top tube with its lithium heparin and lavender for its different anticoagulant. Hux stepped back from the shelf and admired how they looked among the jars of preserved organs and various medical equipment.

Later, Hux tried his hand at a blood smear. It looked like he could do it, at least from the several videos he watched demonstrating how to do a proper blood smear. He had more than enough blood to work with, and enough glass slides to use as practice until he got that perfect feathered edge. That way, he could keep some of Kylo’s blood — some of  _ Kylo  _ — with him.


End file.
